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#< as in the show er (will make sense after the rb)
hello guy with the most danny pudi photos on pintrest ever
WHATS THE MOST GENDER PHOTO YOU HAVE OF DANNY PUDI !??!?!??!
I need a photo of him that screams gender thanks bbg
LOVE THAT I'M THE GUY WITH THE MOST DANNY PUDI PHOTOS
i chose a couple (a lot) for you cos i seriously could not narrow it down
under the cut cos seriously. a lot
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these are both photos of brad. obviously. the second one is from s1e8 'Brendan', but i cant remember the first one off the top of my head lol oops
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abed's outfit in s3e17 of community, 'Basic Lupine Urology'. i dont have much else to say but every time i watch this episode i get INSANE gender envy
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another abed one! s1e3 'Introduction to Film', i think this look is so underrated tbh. the green blue flannel. the cigarette. the headphones. askjhdskhds
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danny pudi as brett in The Argument (2020). his suit is sooooo. it's available to watch on amazon prime or to rent on apple tv apparently? havent actually seen this one although i have heard that there's some pretty serious racism towards the end which is obviously not great, so just a brief tw for that
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these are both from this uhh?? interview?? about his short 'Running'. his HAIR
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danny pudi in The Tiger Hunter!! according to wikipedia it also stars parvesh cheena (good friends with danny pudi and plays zack in mq!) again i havent seen this one but again tw for racism (based on what i've heard). if you still want to see it you can rent it on apple tv
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i have more!! putting the rest in a reblog cos tumblr only allows ten images
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jingyi-ma-boi · 1 month
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I saw this and decided not to rb with my own piece bc op’s notes are already being bombarded. We all know this is practically canon in MDZS for nieyao. That’s what happened.
What other reason would JGY have to hide Da-ge’s head in his secret chamber? We know that even in death, they tormented each other in that coffin. Not even death did them part.
But of course, this reminded me of that fierce corpse!NMJ AU idea I wrote about not so long ago (this one rotates in my head from time to time. I’m a sucker for dark and twisted 19th-century-style romanticism) and the og post that spurred said idea:
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Imagine if JGY succeeded at reanimating NMJ's corpse and instead of the vitriol, the hate, the continued murder attempts, he finds that Da-ge is bent on pleasing him from the start. That he and XY haven't fucked up, and that NMJ's has regained abilities he had long-lost due to the saber curse when he had been alive.
Imagine JGY feeling that this monstrous version of the man he once idolized before everything went south should hate him for having murdered him in cold blood. That NMJ should keep tormenting him as much as he had tormented himself in the spare moments he allowed himself to feel sick with the knowledge that he was killing the man whose life he tried to save in the past.
Imagine JGY thinking at first that NMJ is only doing this to drive him crazy, to taunt him and play with him because now that he’s recovered his lucidity from before the SSC, he is able to recognize the feelings that his Deputy once harbored for him.
Now he is receiving from Da-ge everything he had once dreamt of and more, and it won't make JGY feel better at all.
On the contrary, he feels so much worse for having killed the one man whose hate and disdain affected him the most. Because if the hate remained, his actions would have felt justified. Because if he kept trying to kill him, he could revel in ordering him around as a way to taunt him.
JGY is convinced that they made a mistake, that even if they're here now, reunited past death, he doesn't deserve to let go of the turmoil. He doesn't deserve to feel relieved.
This is not his Da-ge, but a puppet that took his image and now bows down to him out of a twisted sense of gratitude that only makes the weight of fate feel heavier. Either that, or NMJ is willingly choosing to do this just to torment him and test how far JGY will go before he snaps.
He chooses to believe this because he knows that the alternative is even worse of a punishment. A part of him knows deep down that if this puppet that is so eager to please, so eager to show the limitless extent of his worshiping devotion, has regained long-lost abilities that have now been amplified without the restraint of mortality, there's the slim chance that this is real. That this was real before. What does this mean? he wonders.
Where does that place us and everything that happened between us? Did he love me even as he casted me away? Or was his love conditional to my adjustment to his idea of me?
He could ask, but he fears the answer just so. He's already torturing himself with the whole reality of this, wishing that they hadn't been able to perform the ritual successfully.
He can't help but think of how he fantasized about finally having his Er-ge's attention all to himself without NMJ's incessant pestering every time NMJ kneels before him, closing his eyes in what he has figured is now his way of expressing bliss and contentment whenever JGY's praises his work.
He can't help but think of how he dreamt of returning Da-ge's slights towards him tenfold every time this giant of a man curls in the floor around his feet asking for forgiveness.
He can't help but think of the intense disdain and murderous intent he felt after NMJ kicked him down the stairs in the middle of that one qi deviation he had at Jinlintai every time they tread through paths that threaten to soil his golden robes and this corpse that looks like his Da-ge decides to lift him of the floor, saying that his feet don't deserve to touch such filth.
He tries to avoid these thoughts so hard, but he can't. And he feels like this is his righteous punishment for daring to reclaim his birthright as NMJ looks at him dead in the eye and confesses that he loves him.
He feels an intense pain forming in his chest as this wrong version of Da-ge says that even if his skin remains now cold to the touch, the light graze of their fingers on those long nights of warfare in his tent made him feel incensed all over.
He feels nauseous as this twisted version of his Sworn Brother says that even if his heart cannot beat anymore, the sight of his real smiles, the ones that he had thought once he’d been the only one privileged enough to see, made his heart want to jump out of his chest. Made him now want to carve it out and gift it to him if that’s what he wanted.
He doesn’t allow himself to think this is anything other than divine retribution. Mostly because the idea that it could be real, that in another life without war, without the saber curse, NMJ would have loved him like this or even with just a quarter of this intensity, it’s worse. It makes him wish to go back in time, try and change things just so he could get a taste of what is like having NMJ’s love in life as he has in death.
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harryhandstan · 4 years
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washed away in you
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I don’t have much to say except I appreciate your patience with me as I worked on this piece! I apologize again for all the confusion with posting and deleting and now reposting. This is the third part to my Dad!Harry series. Once again you don’t have to read those to understand this one, but I’ve linked them below in case you would like to revisit them. :)
Thank you to @taintedwonder for reading over part of this for me!
word count: 4.2k
needles tw // (small mention towards the end)
I Want Your Belly (part one) | Wonderful and Warm (part two) | writing tag | masterlist
y’all have already been so good to me but as always likes, rbs, and comments are welcome!!
//
Of all the weeks to be put on bed rest, it had to be the week that Harry started filming for his new movie role.
Technically you were on modified bed rest, which meant resting as much as possible but still moving around as necessary, but the phrase terrified Harry enough that he was doing whatever he could to keep you still. It hadn’t been an easy task, you were in your 8th month of pregnancy, quickly approaching your due date, and there still seemed to be a mountain of important things to get done before your son’s arrival.
It had only been two days since you’d started having what you thought were contractions. It had forced you and Harry to realize just how unprepared the two of you were when you had to rush out of the house at 2 a.m. with nothing packed for what could possibly be the night of your child’s appearance into the world. Just the two of you with disheveled hair and rumpled pajamas under the harsh lighting of the ER exam room. 8 hours of tests and scans and a visit from your doctor later, you returned home to fall back in bed and catch up on the sleep you had missed.
“Listen you’re both new to all this..I get it. But you’re putting too much stress on your body and that’s what caused this tonight. I know it’s hard but, take a week, relax, bed rest as much as possible. I’ll see you in my office again in a few days just to make sure everything is progressing along like we want. If there’s still too much stress on the baby, we may have to push your due date up a little earlier. But we don’t want to do that if we can avoid it.”
Currently you were in the nursery, where most of the last minute things to do remained. You were standing at the changing table, folding a set of onesies to be put away. Harry had been urging you for the past 10 minutes to sit down.
“Harry, I have been in bed all night, or as much of it as your son allowed me to be without kicking me in the ribs or pressing on my bladder. I just wanna get these folded and put away and I’ll be done.”
“Well you can at least sit while y’doing them. Or, let me finish ‘em.” His hands fall on your shoulders, gently guiding you towards the rocking chair in the corner. You gesture for him to bring the basket closer, “And why is he only my son when he’s causing you trouble?”
“Maybe cause it was your birthday treat that got us into this mess. Or because he already likes to tease us so much. Besides, you can’t do them, I have a system.”
“Yeah, a birthday treat planned by you. And I know the system, you showed me two days ago.”
“You knew the system, we changed it.”
“We? I’ve barely been home how’ve we..”
“I may have called your Mum again.” You shrug, propping your feet up on the small ottoman positioned in front of the chair, “She and I agreed it’s better this way.”
“You didn’t think it was important to notify me of this system you and y’new bestie have thought up?” He’s turned to lean his back against the changing table, arms folded across his chest. As much as he wants to be upset, he’s over the moon that you and Anne have become so much closer over the past few months. Between his mom and yours, plus your sister and his, he was thrilled to see you had so much support for days when he couldn’t be there. Anne had offered to fly out to spend the week with you, as did your mom, but you put them both off, promising you would need them more the few weeks after the birth.
“Been a little busy growing a human here, Harry. May have slipped my mind. I would’ve gotten around to it eventually.”
“Right, you can just tell me where everything goes then.” He’s already worked his way through folding the last of the pile, smiling proudly at you as you lean your head back and close your eyes, sinking further into the chair.
“Socks in the second drawer to the left, hats in the middle. If the onesies are newborn sized, they go to the right. Anything bigger than that gets tucked in the baskets by size there in the middle shelf of the closet, if you can find room.”
Between the two of your families and your group of mutual friends, you’d been given 4 baby showers over the past few months, combining with the items you and Harry had supplied for yourselves. People had been more than generous in helping stock the nursery for your little one.
“All done. How ‘bout some breakfast now?”
“You don’t have time. You have to be on set in less than an hour. I’ll make myself something in a bit. I may go back to sleep for a while, just got up to see you off and wanted to put those things away.”
“Always have time for you, angel,” He offers his hand to help you lift yourself up, “Maybe a smoothie?”
“Alright, if I let you make me a smoothie, will you take yours to go? Don’t want you to be late because of me.”
“Deal. But only if you let me tuck you back into bed before I go.”
“Deal.” You lean up slightly to accept the sweet kiss he offers before shuffling off to the kitchen together.
//
“Harry?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve decided. You’re not allowed to look.”
You knew he wasn’t listening, trying to maybe, but not really. He sits across the room at the desk in the corner of your bedroom, glasses perched on the end of his nose, guitar in his lap, journal open in front of him. He’s in writing mode, something that usually takes you at least 30 minutes to coax him from and convince him to come to bed. Not that you ever wanted to interrupt his process, but tonight you’re feeling anxious about your impending delivery, dread slowing working its way through your body. 
It had been only a few days since your follow up appointment with your doctor. She had deemed you fit to come off bed rest, but urged you to continue to try to keep your stress level to a minimum as much as possible. Easier said than done, but you were finding small ways to relax yourself when you could; meditation, music, reading. But tonight you just wanted Harry for reassurance.
In your nightly scroll through one of your recent favorite mom-to-be blogs, you had come across an article on the difficulty of delivery. You appreciated moms who were brave enough to share their stories online and this person in particular had included a video. Despite your anxiety, you clicked to watch, curiosity overriding any fear rising in your chest. 
When he finally puts away the guitar and the journal and sheds his soft purple robe to swim up the bed to settle next to you, he asks, “Were y’sayin’ something earlier, m’love? Got lost there for a bit, m’sorry.”
His writing sessions were normally done in his office or the studio, but the past few weeks he’d preferred to do them here. Liked the idea of you trying to softly hum along to a new tune he was working through, occasionally offering your opinions about what you liked or didn’t. It was rare that you disliked anything, but he liked that you didn’t shy away from being honest with him. His favorite though? The sight of you, an open book, hand always resting on the side of your belly while you read. It was just as much a comfort for him to be near you these days as it was for you.
“Yeah. I’ve decided. You’re not allowed to look when I deliver this baby.”
His head rests on your thigh, only the side of his face visible as he looks up at you, but it’s enough to see the disappointment flash before he composes himself, not wanting to upset you.
“Alright. What d’you mean by that? Like..you don’t want me in the room or..”
“No, no, I want you in the room, that was never a question. You’re just not allowed to look when I’m pushing. I watched a video and I’m traumatized and I just..”
He sits up quickly, “You watched a birthing video? Without me?”
“Yeah, earlier when you were zoned out. You’ve never seen one?”
“Never been curious enough to watch one ‘til now. Not ‘til I thought of you having our babe. Show me the one you watched?”
You’re hesitant. Truly you’re touched he’s so curious and wants to share this experience with you, but right now the thought of him seeing your body change like that is scary. He senses your unease, almost reads your mind; he knows you so well.
“Babe, s’your body. If you really don’t want me t’look, then I won’t. Just..at least show me what you watched so I can see for myself what it’s like, what you’ll go through. S’all m’askin’ for now.”
“Okay, fine,” You pat the bed next to you and he scurries up to sit, his head on your shoulder while you navigate through your browser history to find the video. You start it, but your eyes stay focused on his face.
“Y’not gonna watch it again with me?”
“No,” You drape your arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer so you can rest your head on top of his, “I’d rather watch your reactions this time around.”
You’re curious to see how he reacts to certain parts; his little gasps and winces as the video progresses. When it ends, you’re not surprised to see tears have fallen down his face and made a small wet spot on the front of his t-shirt.
“Harry, you’re not upset with me, are you?”
“‘Course not, meant what I said earlier. If you really don’t want me t’look, then I won’t..but I don’t want you to think I’ll look at you any differently after. You’re givin’ me one of the greatest gifts anyone ever has, if anything I love you more than I ever thought I could. And that’s only gonna grow once our boy’s here.”
You run your hands through his hair, not sure what to say. You’ve never had a love this big, one that envelops you so fully. The past few months have shown you just how deeply he cares for you, and just how much your own heart could stretch to fill with your overwhelming love for Harry and now the baby growing inside you.      
He doesn’t take offense to your silence, just stills your hand and brings it to his lips, kissing each of your fingertips. He slumps further down the bed, head level with your stomach. He pokes it softly through your shirt. He doesn’t even have to ask anymore, you know what he wants and you’re glad to give in to him. You scoot down to rest your head on your pillow, pulling your shirt up and tucking the fabric under your breasts.
Instantly his head rests on your tummy, a hand reaching around to lay there on the other side of it, wrapping himself around you. You reach over and turn the lamp on your bedside table off, sleep drifting it’s way through your body and mind. You let one hand fall to his back, the other one joining his arm to wrap protectively around your belly.
“Harry?”
“Hmm?” 
“You can look. If you want.”
“Y’don’t have to decide tonight. We still have a little time to plan.”
“No. I don’t want to take any of this experience from you. The whole thing’s just a bit scary though.”
“I know it is, m’terrified too. But everything’s gonna be alright. I’m gonna be there for every second of it.” 
“I know you are. You’re the only thing that’s kept me sane through all this. You’ve been so good to me, H. Putting up with all my mood swings and late night cravings and whatever I needed.” 
“I haven’t had to ‘put up’ with anything. Just want to make you and bub as happy as y’both already make me.” He turns to kiss the side of your stomach before looking up at you, “Comfy? Am I squishin’ you?”
“No, it’s nice. Don’t see how you can be comfy though.” 
“I’ll move to my pillow in a bit. Just like being close to you and bub,” He yawns, “Goodnight, babe. Love you both so much.”
“We love you too, Harry. More than you’ll ever know.”
//  
Sleep had been pretty much non-existent in your third trimester. You were lucky if you got a few hours each night and cat naps throughout the day were rare. 
Tonight is no different. It’s 3 a.m and once you get up for your fifth trip to the bathroom, you know there’s no point in trying to get comfortable again. Harry will be up soon, and as much as he tries to stay quiet during his morning routine, he always found some way to unintentionally wake you. You couldn’t even sleep through his soft kisses to your forehead to say goodbye anymore.
Normally you take yourself down to the living room to find a mindless tv show or movie to carry you through your insomnia, but Harry also seemed to be infected with your curse of being a light sleeper these days. Most nights he would attempt to join you, sweet enough to not want you to be alone, stubborn enough to not listen each time you urged him to go back to bed. He always paid for it the day after though, dark circles under his eyes and nodding off to sleep throughout whatever he had scheduled. 
So in hopes that you wouldn’t wake him by leaving tonight, you reach for the remote to the bedroom tv, muting it so the noise won’t disturb him. You would almost be content enough to stare at him for the rest of the night. The sharp outline of his jaw, freckles scattered across his face that would rival the constellations in the sky, all softened by the moonlight illuminating his face perfectly. As much as you don’t want to wake him, you can’t help but reach out to run the back of your hand over the smooth skin of the man you admire so much. You adore the way even in his sleep he molds to your touch, soft snores and deep, even breaths never stopping as you move up to brush his curls away from his face. 
You almost make it through 20 minutes of a movie before his eyes flutter open. You know how much your false contractions from before weighed on him, alarm is quick to flood his face before he has a chance to take in his surroundings. 
You answer before he has a chance to let worry take over, “It’s alright. We’re okay. Just the usual..couldn’t sleep.”
He rubs his eyes to clear them, “What time s’it?”
“4:30.”
He squints slightly at the movie playing before chuckling, “How many times y’think you’ve watched this one? Know it’s been at least a dozen or so in the last month.”
“It’s my favorite. One of them, anyway. It’s always been soothing to me.”
“Bet you could quote the whole thing by now, even with it muted.”
You glance up at the tv and it only takes a second for you to pinpoint the exact part. You take his comment as a challenge, pushing yourself up out of your nest of pillows to rest your back against the headboard before quoting, “Faith is a bluebird you see from afar. It’s for real, and as sure as the first evening star. You can’t touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight. But it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.”
Your voice breaks as you say the last few words. Maybe it’s the combination of exhaustion and all the new fears and hormones running through your mind and body. Nostalgia of watching this when you were younger and now sharing it with your child when they are old enough touches your heart and you can’t stop the tears continuously streaming down your face.
“Baby,” He pushes himself up to rest next to you, tugging you until you're pressed close to his side, “Please don’t cry.”
“M’miserable, Harry. I’m as big as the moon and I can’t breathe and my feet always hurt and I’m just..ready for him to be here. Ready for him to be out so I can hold him and kiss him and put him in his own bed so I can rest in mine again.” 
You know you sound childish and whiny and somewhat ridiculous, but being so sleep deprived means all sense has left and so the words come spilling out, a jumbled mess you doubt he even understood.
“I know you are, love. Hate to see you so upset,” He kisses the top of your head, “Certainly as bright as the moon, but not as big. Your body’s as exactly as it should be. I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but that’s only cause you’re tired. He’ll be here soon and we’ll have so many people here to help, yeah?”
All you can do is nod, you know he’s right and you know once you have a nap things won’t feel so overwhelming. You pull yourself away from him to wipe your face on your t-shirt. A smile stretches across your lips as the thought enters your mind, “If I’m as bright as the moon, you’re as golden as the sun.”
“Yeah?” He’s blushing now, looking down at his hands before his eyes dart up to meet yours, “Guess that makes bub our little star, huh?”
You giggle before shrugging, “Guess so.”
“By the way,” His hand rests on your thigh, “We gonna keep calling him bub or we gonna pick a name?” 
“Bub’s cute. Bub Styles.” You wrinkle your nose at the thought, “I just want it to be perfect for him, you know? I feel like I need to see his face before I just blindly pick a name. We could definitely narrow down some options though and see which one suits him best.”
“We’ll think of something special, eh? Somethin’ just f’him.”
“Yeah, we will,” You suck in a sharp intake of breath at a particularly hard kick from within your stomach. Harry’s head snaps to look over your face before looking down to where your hand lays on your belly.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes are wide, on edge as he waits for your answer.
“It’s fine he’s just..ah, being a little rowdy this morning.” You take his hand from your thigh and press it to where the kicks were landing, “Right here. Think that’s his butt, his head’s down here, and..ah, his feet are right about here. Can you feel him?”
His palm lays flat across the front of your belly, “S’amazing, never gets old. Bet it feels so..weird to you though.”
“At first, yeah, but got used to it pretty quickly. It’s comforting now, like he’s saying hello or contributing to our conversations when we talk.”
He puts his mouth almost right against your tummy, so close his breath tickles and you feel the vibrations when he speaks, “Take it easy on mumma, little one. Just a bit longer, yeah? Can’t wait to see ya face. Bet y’so handsome like daddy, just gotta be a lil’ more patient like mummy, alright?” 
“Think maybe he’s ready for his pre-breakfast snack?”
“Dunno..I’ll ask him though,” He bends again, “That why y’bein’ such a brat to mum, huh? Woke her up early cause you were hungry? Alright, daddy’ll make your usual.”
He kisses your stomach, before straightening to where he’s level with your face, “That sound good?”
Your “usual” was a bowl of what had been your biggest craving throughout your pregnancy; fruit. On nights like this when sleeplessness couldn’t be defeated, the two of you normally gave in pretty quickly and had breakfast together. On days when you were able to sleep through Harry’s departure, you would always wake to the bowl already prepared and ready for you. Oftentimes there would be a quickly scribbled note with the words “Love, H” stuck to the top or the side of the bowl, like you didn’t already know who had left it for you.
“You’re spoiling him already, Harry.”
He smacks a quick kiss to your cheek, pulling back just a second before diving back in to peck another one on your other cheek, “Tryin’ to spoil you too, angel.”
//
Contractions, real ones you were sure this time, had started 30 minutes ago. As much as Harry wanted to rush you out of the house in your pajamas, you had insisted on at least 5 minutes to change and pull your hair into a quick ponytail before gathering your bag and dashing down the stairs.
Just as Harry’s hand lands on the doorknob, you tug on the sleeve of his jacket, “Harry, stop for a second.”
“Why? Are you having one now?”
“Kiss me.”
“What?”
“This is one of our last moments before we become parents. I want you to slow down, take a deep breath, and kiss me.”
“You’re impossible, you know that? Active labor and you stop me for a kiss.” He rolls his eyes but you can see his shoulders drop, relaxing just enough to press his lips firmly against yours. You reach your hand up and around to the back of his neck, deepening it for a moment before drawing back to scan his face.
“Better?” Your hand continues to work through his hair, happy to watch his face relax slightly at your touch.
“Much. How are you so calm?”
“I don’t know, really. I thought I would be scared, and I am but..I’m ready. So ready to meet him.”
“Me too. Let’s go.” His hand falls to the small of you back, leading you out the door and to the car.
Once you arrive at the hospital, he doesn’t leave your side, not even when the nurse suggests he do so while you get your epidural. She agrees to let him stay, but makes him sit in a chair in front of you and sternly tells him not to look.
He holds both of your hands, squeezing them tightly as an attempt to distract you. He knows how much you hate needles, how the thought of this procedure alone had scared you almost as much as the idea of labor. You release a deep sigh of relief when they announce it’s done, and he helps you settle back into bed, tucking the blanket around you.
“So proud of you, baby. You’re already doing amazing.” 
Things progress much faster than you ever thought they would, and it’s only three hours before you’re ready to push. Harry’s there for every second of it, hand behind your back and small encouragements in your ear when you think you can’t go any further. 
“M’tired, H.” The room is full of people, your doctor and a set of nurses, but his focus stays on you; simply existing together in that moment. Small pieces of hair have come loose from your ponytail, clinging to the sweat now covering your forehead. He sweeps them away before resting his hand on your shoulder.
“I know y’are, lovie, but you’re so so close. Doin’ so incredible,” His smile is so wide, beaming at you when he leans closer, “Y’look gorgeous too, never seen you look more stunning than now.”
That has a laugh bursting from you, still breathless when you reply,  “You’re such a bad liar.”
“M’serious! Know better than to lie to you.” He winks just before working his arm around behind your back again, giving you the motivation you needed to keep going.
It’s not long before you hear what you’re certain is one of the best sounds you’ll ever hear, the sweet sound of your baby boy’s cry as he enters the world.
//
An hour later, both of you are still in awe of your little one, sleeping peaceful now in their dad’s strong arms. Harry’s wedged himself next to you in the hospital bed, long legs stretched in front of him. He keeps looking between where your head is propped on his shoulder and the baby.
He breaks the silence first, “Definitely think he has your hair. S’nice and soft.”
“Think it’ll be darker like yours though. Maybe he’ll have your eyes.” You reach over to run your finger along your baby’s nose.
He looks between you and the baby again, a prideful smile brightening his face. He smushes his lips against your temple, and you close your eyes as the feeling of adoration combined with the  exhaustion of the day washes over you. 
You hear him whisper just as you’re drifting to sleep, “My moon and star, together at last.”
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asterekmess · 4 years
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S3A - E8
I’m realizing just how damn far behind I am on working on season 3, but I don’t wanna skip any episodes of the rewatch, so let’s get to it! Double time, double time!
Content warnings for discussion of cannibalism.
Forewarning, this one is a doozy, so be prepared to Read More:
Lesgo!:
First thing’s first, Derek has experience with those awful sound thingies? Can you imagine how freaked he must’ve been seeing Chris bring those out when they were tracking Boyd and Erica?
Also, Chris Argent has been hunting Derek one way or another since he was a child. Even BEFORE Kate. Why the hell do we have a Derek & Chris broness in the later seasons? This kind of shit doesn’t just go away. I can’t believe I forgot about it.
I love how awkward sweet bby Derek is trying to run through the trees and tripping on branches everywhere. It’s honestly so much more realistic for a teenager than just the crazy cgi stuff. Also, since we know Derek is comfortable in the woods, it really gives you a hint as to how truly messed up he is from fear right now. He’s off balance in a dozen ways.
DEREK HAS BEEN WATCHING PEOPLE DIE IN FRONT OF HIM SINCE HE WAS 15. I’m gonna CRY. If I wanna hurt myself even More, you could argue that the Random Beta (RB) got shot bc he stopped to talk to Derek. So...guilty minds would assume Derek has been watching people die because of him since 15. I hate everything.
PETER comin’ in clutch. Also, hilarious that they use that arrow catching move so much.
I almost like how they tried to make Gerard look younger by just having him wear a douchey leather jacket instead of the serious grandpa one he wears in S2. He swaggers over to the body of RB, and it’s hilarious.
Okay, what is this bullshit about “Bring them back alive, we go by the code?” If you were going by the code then you wouldn’t be fucking hunting them AT ALL. They’re innocent! Why the fuck are you ‘bringing them back’ in the first place? Chris, you piece of shit. This is supposed to demonstrate that you’ve always been a stickler for the code, but all it does is emphasize how little that code actually means. “We hunt those who hunt us.” Fuck off, you hunt anything you deem ‘dangerous’ and find excuses to kill them so you can feel righteous.
Gonna casually note that RB was shot in the Throat with an arrow, but bc of makeup necessities they moved the arrow down to his chest when he’s shown on the ground. It’s funny. :)
It’s seriously so hard to hate Peter, do the writers realize that? Like, yes, he did horrible shit and I’m not denying that, but when you show him running into the hunter-filled woods to save his nephew’s life at 24 years old, then hiding with him in a cellar for two fucking days when he could probably have escaped on his own, it’s hard to see him as a heartless bastard.
I’m almost afraid to find out why Cora knows the details. Can you imagine? She would’ve been, what, 9-10? Her big brother and uncle both go missing for two days after a hunt and she had to stay at home waiting for someone to say they’d found their bodies. God, the lives of the Hales are so fucked up.
The rain is really making the mood here.
I gotta say, I’m confused about this initial Cora-Stiles interaction. He goes on about everyone who’s died or nearly died, but then Cora assumes he wants Derek to do something about the deaths, and Stiles agrees? Except that Derek currently fits the COD that all the other sacrifices have hit. Missing for about two days. Everything Stiles has said implies that he’s worried Derek is also dead. I don’t get why they go with ‘I’m worried about the missing man that I’ve been helping for the last four months because I blame him for the Alphas even coming to town”?
One thing they got on point here is just how disgusting they made Gerard. The slime and the spitting and ugh *shudders* it’s just so gross.
I’m also...I think intrigued is the right word--that they shoved this whole story into the episode without ever addressing the fact that Derek IS missing and they should go looking for him or something. It starts with Stiles asking where the hell he is, but then everything else is about this past moment. Talk about going off on a tangent. I mean, I don’t blame them, but if I shoved this much character background into one chapter people would call me out for the infodump that it is.
Which is all this episode is. Info-dumped exposition. Here’s how werewolves were made. Here’s why Derek’s cranky. Here’s why Duke’s an asshole. Here’s why the Hales are ‘special’
Again, I don’t blame them. It’s just...a lot.
Just a tiny thing: Why do they both roll up their sleeves when Scott only has to touch Gerard’s hand?
It is also very hard to believe that either Allison or Scott are remotely good people when they’re both lying to everyone about Gerard’s existence.
*finger guns, bc now i have to use the tag* I think this is the longest I’ve ever gotten before using it.
Another thing: Why does Gerard make the gross noises like he’s in pain, when we know it doesn’t hurt to get the pain taken away from him? It certainly didn’t hurt that lady in the ER.
I know this is a weird thing to notice, but I find it interesting that Paige is wearing actual makeup. Not just the ‘natural’ look, but eyeshadow that’s visibly dark. *shrug*
Is she Actually playing the cello? The notes Don’t look like they match up with her bowing and fingerings.
HA that music cut in is fucking Hilarious. Derek turns around like he’s in a teen rom-com, with that casual “I never stop smiling all the way bc I’m the coolest guy around” grin and the music just WHAM. That’s right, Derek Hale used to be a JOCK. He didn’t used to be ‘a lot like Scott.’ He was a lot like JACKSON.
So, this group of cronies Derek has. What is that about? He’s gotta have that posse just like Jackson did in S1? Unnamed people to cackle at his jokes.
Paige’s face, right there? That is the SHIT for me. That’s not hidden attraction, that’s genuinely “What the fuck is my life, why are you so lame?” and I am LIVING for it.
Derek peacocking is also hilarious. Peacocking so hard he (THE WEREWOLF) didn’t notice that she’d left the hall, is even more so.
I hate to tell you this Paige, but THAT is where I could tell you liked him. Giving in to his bullshit offer was the first step, that look on your face when he said, “Hold on” was Blatant “Holy shit, my crush wants to talk to me” but then all you idiots did was make eye contact. Paige, if you’re trying to get the ball, try looking away from those pretty eyes, okay?
Derek, you always go too far. You can see Paige lose interest when she realizes that he’s not actually into Her, he’s into showing off.
OOOF, i guess they weren’t such good friends after all, cus’ they left when Paige did.
I also feel the need to point out Derek is WEARING A CHECKERED SHIRT. *inarticulate screaming* Everyone who makes jokes about him thinking plaid is disgusting owes me five bucks bc he CLEARLY didn’t think checkers/plaid were that bad when he was in high school.
I’ll admit...the instant sorry is like...really good. If they’d had him come in and be More of a dick and then end up together, I’d be a lot more bugged. But his First real introduction to her is an apology.
THEN he goes back to being a dick. But at least this time it’s not about him, he wants to know about Her.
And I LOVE the turnaround! THIS is flirting. THIS is cute teasing. She plays his game Back at him, shows her own skill and forces him to get on her level. Then he weasels out of it, but in a Cute Way.
If there’s one thing that I’m routinely impressed by in TW it’s the scoring. They’re Really good with music to fit the moods and the vibes of the whole episode. For instance, all the transition music in this episode is Cello, bc it’s about Paige.
I hate agreeing with Gerard on Anything, but he makes a good point about the Dark Druid taking and killing someone else right alongside Deaton. Why would she take 4 people when she only needed three? She wouldn’t know that Deaton got a message out or that Scott would save Deaton. Plus the addition of the mountain ash circle is kind of weird, don’t you think?
Yah, I have no clue why your body is producing anything Either. You literally make no sense and you shouldn’t be alive. Period. Bringing you back was a lazy way to have someone who could be a sub-sub plot and hand out exposition and red herrings that are totally useless.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT GERARD? You weren’t There when Deucalion found out he could still see with his Alpha Eyes (Which makes no sense btw, he doesn’t have TWO sets of eyes???) and if you’d interacted with Deuc since then he’d have ripped you to shreds.
SERIOUSLY people, why the FUCK are we getting this information from Gerard when it makes WAY more sense for Deaton to tell them this? He was THERE for the whole thing!
I get that the point of the episode is supposed to be “Unreliable Narrators” (The whole show has an unreliable narrator.) but you had that covered with Peter’s story. You could’ve Instilled TRUST in Deaton by making a contrast and having Deaton TELL THEM THE TRUTH. Show the difference between reliable and unreliable. Gerard doesn’t need to be here!
Stiles, asking the real questions.
AND GETTING THE MOST BULLSHIT ANSWER IN THE UNIVERSE.
Could these writers GET any lazier? Put some fucking effort in and give us some information about Werewolves IN YOUR WEREWOLF TV SHOW.
What the fuck were Paige and Derek into that they knew where an abandoned distillery was when it wasn’t even in TOWN? And you’re telling me they left town every time they wanted to make out? Even worse, are you implying they had SEX in that distillery? And then trying to tell me that none of the fucking Alphas and their packs noticed the smell of Derek and his girlfriend all over the building?
...what...do people seriously not remember being teenagers? What the fuck Peter? In what fucking universe  is “one minute it’s ‘i hate you, don’t talk to me’ the next it’s frantic groping in any dark corner’ remotely accurate to real life?
Teenagers in the majority don’t DO that. I really fucking hate that all teenagers are made out to be like this. Like they’re “run by their hormones” and “everything is sex to you” STOP. Seriously, STOP. Saying shit like that completely negates the fact that Teenagers are Real fucking People. They’re not just buckets of hormones and sweat that need to be shaped into an adult. They’re fucking PEOPLE and reducing them to sex-crazed idiots is lazy and stupid.
Are you ALSO telling me that the hunters dragged RB’s DEad Body to an abandoned building, then strung the corpse up and cut it in half? AND that someone happened to go the abandoned building and found the body and called the cops, or that they MOVEd the two halves somewhere they would be found, Or that They were the ones to call and report the body?
Has teen wolf got even a Single brain cell?
ALSO, what the fuck is this timeline? Derek and Peter went missing for two days after RB was killed, but the packs don’t get together to discuss RB’s death until After Derek has run out of the building with Paige because he could smell blood from RB being hemisected. So, they waited at Least two days before talking to each other about RB’s death? And Derek apparently recovered Instantaneously from his two day nightmare and went right back to macking on his girlfriend and laughing freely the Day he was found? Or did they wait even longer? I’m so fucking confused!
Okay, you tell me that this place is their favorite makeout/groping spot, but they seriously just walk in the door and start kissing in the middle of the room? You guys didn’t bring some blankets and pillows here? You’re gonna stand there the whole time?
WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU MAKING PETER A PERVERT? He was fucking watching his nephew make out with his girlfriend through the wall??? WHat is WRONG with you?
ALSO, Cora was alive and active in Derek’s life at that point. She wasn’t That young. She could easily point out that Peter being Derek’s best friend is total bullshit if it weren’t actually true. Which means Peter is telling the TRUTH here. Hell, she doesn’t call out his heartbeat for lies the entire time, and while they imply at the end of the episode that Really Good Liars can just force their heart to be steady while lying so they don’t get caught, that isn’t a thing for the entire rest of the show. Derek trusts KATE when she says she’s not lying. So the evidence actually points toward Peter telling the TRUTH in this entire episode.
THAT is accurate to teenagers. Using the word “like” and “liking” so many times in a conversation that it doesn’t even sound like a word anymore.
Paige...dude, I’m so torn. Like I’m glad you’re being honest with Derek about your worries, but also it’s a complete dick move to just Assume that he’s gonna bail? To say to his face that you Know he’s leaving you and you’re just waiting for it? Fucking rude.
Ennis...bro...how exactly did your Beta “Accidentally” kill a hunter? How would that happen?
AGAIN WITH THE TIMELINE. If the packs only CAME to beacon hills because of Ennis issue with the hunters, why was RB running through beacon hills when he was killed?
Also, side note: Where are all of these werewolves staying? Are they territorial so they like, all claimed different hotels to take over? Or do they not mind, and THAT’S why the Hale house is so big for such a small family? Because they had a ton of guest rooms for packs that visited to get that sweet, sweet Hale Wisdom?
I firmly believe that werewolves are clothing-optional people. Talia straight shifts into a naked human form in front of over a dozen other wolves.
Also, where the hell is the Hale pack here? Some random chick comes up and gives Talia a robe, but that person is standing with Deuc’s pack. So....what?
I’m so curious about the formation the wolves make when they hear Talia coming. Everybody backs away, except Deucalion. And they do this weird focus on his face as he watches her come in. And her eye contact is JUST with him.
OH GROSS. DID DEUC HAVE A THING FOR DEREK’S MOM????
I will admit that watching things with subtitles sometimes ruins the surprise. There’s that little pause before “I’m just a deputy” like it was supposed to be shocking to the audience, but the subtitle on Amazon Prime just Pops up right away and it kind of ruins the effect.
Here we go! The one piece of concrete information on “Packs” and “pack members” that we’re given in the whole fucking show. Word for Word. “Losing a member of your pack isn’t like losing family, it’s like you lose a limb.”
That is....severe. Now imagine that your entire family IS your pack. And losing almost every one of them. Is it any wonder that Cora, Peter, and Derek are so messed up? That they’re so dark and wounded looking?
I s2g sometimes Peter literally just sounds like he’s a self-insert for the writers. He explains shit that the writer’s are showing Really Badly as if to wave away the fact that the Ennis flashback is pretty much Completely unnecessary. “You just don’t understand my artistic genius, it’s never just a single moment, it’s a confluence of events. I have to show you all these random flashbacks because you need to understand why Derek is soaked in MANPAIN all the time. Which is totally relevant to the current plot bc....bc....bc ART (and also Tyler Hoechlin was busy so we could only get one shot of him for the entire episode)”
That is just the cutest shit oh my god. Derek listens to Paige’s music while he’s in class and doing homework. THAT is love, you realize? He doesn’t just deal with her dedication to her music, he loves it.
THat little wince when he says “Are you sure about that?” Paige knows he’s gonna screw with her.
THAT IS A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP. He gives her space! She likes studying during lunch so he Leaves her Alone. I LIKE IT.
What do you mean “Laura told you about the packs being here.” Derek KNOWS they’re here because he watched RB DIE IN THE WOODS. Seriously, I”M SO CONFUSED.
FUN FACT (that I might’ve already shared) Oak wood was liked by the Celts because it was really sturdy and hardy and bore food, but it wasn’t their favorite type of wood! Rowan was the favorite, and Irish pagan practitioners used to sleep in rowan trees so they could have prophetic dreams. After that, it was Hazelwood. :P
I...do not enjoy when they bring up the Celtic Druids. *Scuttles to get my textbook bc this is my nerd shit*
“We’re in a Nemeton” This is the correct wording, actually! A “Nemeton” isn’t a thing, it’s a “sacred meeting place” as Chris calls it. Go chris! Nemeton refers to the entire grove/area around the main tree.
I can’t speak to whether they chose a ‘Large, older tree in a grove” but it does make sense bc if we’re talking about Oaks they were a symbol of food and safety (acorns were a staple to Celtic diets) so choosing an older tree would not only look more impressive, but it would probably bear more acorns for the clan.
“It would represent the center of the world” *Puts on vine voice* THat is NOt Correct! The tree at the center of the Nemeton was called a “crann bethadh” or “Tree of Life” and it was essentially a Totem that marked the center of the tribe’s territory. It was not ‘the center of the world’ it was the center of THEIR world. Their land.
“There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages” Not sure if ‘villages’ is the correct term for the era, but the rest of it sounds like a close mistranslation. See, in Ireland there were raids people would do against other clans where the SOLE PURPOSE was to destroy their crann bethadh, because it was demoralizing. It’s like graffiti-ing the front of a church. But technically, it WAS severely frowned upon to harm the tree in any way.
This is mostly because in most Celtic areas, Oak trees were considered symbols of the “Father of the Sky” or the “God of Thunder.” Of course you don’t wanna piss off Thunder man.
Also, you notice how I’m saying CELTS and not DRUIDS. It’s because DRUID isn’t a cultural label, it’s a SOCIAL CLASS. It’s like saying “The Educated”
Okay, back to the--OH WAIT. Before anyone gets any ideas, the blood on the crann bethadh isn’t human. Estonian Celts smeared animal blood on the tree roots as an assurance for rain and good harvests. This is the same concept as TONS of other religions, including Christianity. (Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God, but God stopped him and had him sacrifice a Ram instead. So, Yes. Christians used to perform animal sacrifices.)
NOW back to the show.
THe fact that gerard doesn’t know this stuff implies that Chris is the nerd of the family.
I LIKE THIS. I hate that I like it bc it’s Gerard, but I LIKE IT. Gerard gets up from his wheelchair. He doesn’t need it All the Time.
I’ve never seen another show that bothered to have a wheelchair user who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, which is stupid because it’s Very Common for people using wheelchairs to not need them all the time.
though it does beg the question of why he’s sitting in a wheelchair when he’s in his own bedroom? Was he going somewhere? Or did he know he wouldn’t have enough chairs and didn’t want Allison or Scott to sit in his chair?
The story of Lycaon, who was considered a savage ruler of Arcadia and Zeus went to his house disguised as a human (this is v common in myth) to find out if he was batshit. Lycaon and his FIFTY SONS (he also had one daughter) wanted to know if the stranger was a human or a mortal, so they fed him human flesh in stew. Zeus flipped shit and blasted the room with thunderbolts, murdering all but one of Lycaon’s sons, and then turned Lycaon into a wolf.
So...this whole ‘myth of lycaon’ is totally fucked up when it didn’t need to be? Like, they didn’t NEED to change it to make it a messed up origin story of wolves. It already was.
There’s three major versions to choose from
Lycaon was a pius man who founded the city of Lycosura on Mount Lycaeus and used a child as a sacrifice to Zeus, thinking it would please him. Zeus flips shit and turns Lycaon into a wolf. FROM THEN ON; at every sacrifice made to zeus a man was transformed into a wolf and if he managed to restrain himself from eating human flesh for 8-9 years, he would be turned human again.
The same story as the first, except Lycaon Knew Zeus was in disguise and the child he fed him was Zeus’ own son, and it was revenge for seducing his only daughter Callisto.
If you want to make it match what you’ve already said about wolves in the show, they could’ve used the last one and it would’ve demonstrated how Ingrained the concept of vendetta/revenge is for wolves.
If you wanted to focus on the Turning Human part and working with Celtic Druids to learn to become werewolves, you could’ve used the second one.
there was no reason to add in the bullshit about Prometheus except as an excuse to make Deucalion look like he picked his name to be an asshole, which he fucking didn’t.
 I’m so sorry about all the classical shit (i’m really not) but I studied it in college and I can’t just let this bullshit stand.
I’ll give them a pass on the ‘the lesser known part’ bc it’s technically plausible for the wolves to have run north to the Celts and beg for help, And the Druids (those who’s education was specifically in magic, not all of them) were known for shapeshifting (though not usually into animals. They did that to Other people, not themselves)
I cannot believe this is so long, i’m so sorry.
But WHY tho, Cora? How is an Emissary supposed to keep you connected to humanity if No ONe KNows Who They Are?? How are they supposed to do their job??
Yeah, well now Deaton is a sour bitch who has a chip on his shoulder against the Hale pack so like...fuck his advice.
I will say though! Pre-fire Deaton doesn’t give me the heebies like post-fire Deaton. He’s much more clear about the advice he’s giving, and it’s actually helpful! He still has a dumb little anecdote/parable about the scorpion and the frog (which...in most circumstances I hate. It doesn’t even match what happens) but he gives Real Advice instead of vague asshole nonsense.
“I’m an Alpha, I never walk alone.” I have an inordinate affection for this line.
Paige is clearly some kinda bad bitch if she thought nothing of going to hang out in the school in the middle of the night with Derek.
Okay, but like...why would he attack Ennis like that if he was the one who asked him to bite Paige? And why is the moment played up “A fifteen-year-old boy against a giant” Derek was literally swatted to the side while Ennis walked out of the building. this wasn’t some big showdown.
If she’d already been bitten, why was Ennis still grabbing at her??
....seriously? Peter is literally right there? And no one noticed?
Again with the “Scott is a genius now” LIsten, bro, why the fuck would Scott know a sanskrit fable? If he Did know a story like that, it would be bc Deaton taught him. In which case he would know the FROG and the scorpion. Come on, guys.
OH MY GOD GERARD DOES IT TOO. GERARD, PETER, AND DEUC all have a CHRONIC case of verbal diarrhea when they’re trying to be intimidating.
I do NOT understand this warehouse scene. It’s a GAS gerard, if you stabbed yourself with some sort of...antidote or whatever it wouldn’t save you from the GAS you’re inhaling. At the very least you would be shouting like everyone else because it HURTS going in.
why did it take so long for Talia to come? It’s implied that Peter left to get her, so why did it take so long? Even PAST peter looks fucked up at seeing that Paige is dying, it’s not like he would wait.
I’ll be real, i get weepy so i’m skipping the actual death. Just know that it hurts me. Severely.
Y’all know how much I hate this ‘innocent life’ bullshit for blue eyes. It’s very True Alpha-y in that it’s impossible to pin down the specifics. What constitutes an ‘innocent life’? What constitutes taking it? With wolf claws? With a gun? What counts and what doesn’t count? Ugh.
Eyyy, so I’m exhausted and this is so long that my computer is fritzing. There are five minutes left and nothing happens in them at all. Just Scott pointing out the heartbeat thing and threatening to kill Gerard (so he’s still fine with murder at this point in time. Good to know). Stiles telling Cora that he doesn’t think Peter was telling the truth (which she would Know if he wasn’t) and that he’s gonna ask Derek about it (which we never got to see). And Deucalion murdering his own Beta (who, tbf, tried to kill him first. Which, again, what the fuck is up with Deaton’s office that wolves are able to rip each other apart in it, but it’s still ‘hard for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble.’ I’m just so confused
Final Thoughts: This episode actually had some interesting stuff in it, which is kind of sad considering there was no PLOT, just Exposition. I look forward to tweezing the bits out that I want and dumping the rest in the garbage where it belongs. Oh, and like I said, the music was on Point.
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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A Comprehensive History of George R.R. Martin’s NFL Draft Takes
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Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin loves three things above all else: writing exhaustive descriptions of feasts, killing Starks, and watching NFL football.
When the “A Song of Ice and Fire” creator is not writing the most impactful bit of fantasy storytelling since The Lord of the Rings, he follows his two favorite football teams: the New York Giants and the New York Jets (yes, supporting two teams in the same city is highly unusual and yes, he’s apparently fine with it). 
Martin is fond of expounding upon his fandom in interviews (including this one with ex-NFL defensive end Chris Long) and also documenting his sports pain on his LiveJournal blog, “Not a Blog”. The Westeros story shepherd has been blogging steadily since pretty much the dawn of blogging in 2006. And over the past 15 years, he has marked 235 posts with the “NFL” tag. 
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Martin is using a blog the way blogs were intended to be used – providing professional updates with some informal sports observations sprinkled in. But I’ve personally never been able to get over the novelty of one of pop culture’s most important, sagacious figures, jotting down his ill-conceived sports takes just like the rest of us weirdos. I mean, get a load of this (which is baseball-related, not football):
Grown men wishing to bear the child of their favorite professional athlete is the sort of thing usually left to fringe sports talk radio shows or drunk group text chats. And yet, here is the writer of A Feast For Crows’ genius “broken man” monologue just throwing it out there for public consumption. 
It’s like finding out that J.R.R. Tolkien used to submit his sports takes to The Times in the 1940s. “Yes, Stanley Matthews is talented but I fear his training regimen too rigorous for him to maintain the proper energy for the Three Lions to overcome France this year.”
Sadly, we do not have Tolkien’s football takes (apparently rugby was more his speed anyway). Since we do have Martin’s though, it’s worth examining how his many NFL opinions and predictions have held up over the years, particularly his commentary surrounding the NFL Draft.
The NFL Draft, in which NFL teams select college players to augment their rosters, occurs every year near the end of April or beginning of May. Martin, bless him, frequently likes to record his thoughts on the Jets and Giants’ draft during or after the event. Of the 235 NFL posts on NotaBlog, at least 12 of them deal with the draft. 
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This year’s NFL Draft begins on April 29. A GRRM post about it is sure to come soon after (unless The Winds of Winter is taking up too much of his time). Before George offers his thoughts on this year’s selections, let’s take a trip back through memory lane to grade some of his previous years’ takes. 
Bear in mind, that this list of Martin’s draft takes isn’t truly exhaustive. His blog for the 2020 draft, for instance, doesn’t include too many spicy opinions so it’s left out. But should you want the entire list of George R.R. Martin’s sports musings, I know a guy who wasted countless hours compiling all 235 posts.
George R.R. Martin’s NFL Draft Takes
The Post: April 26, 2019 – Day One The Takes: 
The Jets should have selected defensive end Josh Allen over defensive tackle Quinnen Williams
Daniel Jones at 6 was an overdraft from the Giants. They should have chosen Dwayne Haskins
Analysis: It’s probably too early to tell on George’s first prediction though Williams looks to be the slightly better player now. George’s second take, however, is way off. Not because Giants QB Daniel Jones has been particularly great but George’s preferred QB Dwayne Haskins had a disastrous tenure in Washington, getting released midway through his second season. Cumulative Take Score: 0 for 2 (0%)
The Post: April 7, 2018 – Feeling a Draft The Takes:
The Giants should take Saquon Barkley
The Jets should take Baker Mayfield
Analysis: One of George’s most charming sports quirks is an avowed love of running backs. The running back position isn’t as important in the modern NFL as offenses become more pass heavy. The Giants drafting running back Saquon Barkley was very defensible though and hopefully he will recover from the knee injury that wiped out his 2020 season. George was also dead-on in urging the Jets to take Baker Mayfield. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for yours truly) the Browns took Mayfield with the first overall pick. The Jets took Sam Darnold as a consolation prize and he is already no longer on the team. Cumulative Take Score: 2 for 4 (50%)
The Post: April 29, 2016 – NFL Draft Round One The Takes: 
The Jets did well in taking linebacker Darron Lee over Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
The Giants should have picked pass rusher Shaq Lawson
Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry will be good.
Analysis: George sniffed out Paxton Lynch’s futility like a Lannister plot. Darron Lee was pretty much a bust but at least he wasn’t Paxton Lynch. The Giants should not have chosen Shaq Lawson – their Eli Apple pick worked out perfectly fine. Here, George once again reveals his great taste in running backs. Though the position may no longer be as important, GRRM is one hell of a RB talent evaluator. Zeke Elliott and Derrick Henry are among the best backs in the league. Cumulative Take Score: 4 for 7 (57%)
The Post: April 27, 2013 – NFL Draft, Day 3 The Takes:
Ryan Nassib is Eli Manning’s successor
Taking Geno Smith will set the Jets back years.
Analysis: Ryan Nassib was not Eli Manning’s successor. Who’s to say if Geno Smith set the Jets back years or if they are just a poorly run organization? Either way, we’ll give that one to George since the team has had only one winning season since picking him. Cumulative Take Score: 5 for 9 (56%)
The Post: April 27, 2012 – NFL Draft, Round One The Takes:
“I am not at all happy with (the Jets) choice of Quinton Couples (sic).”
Cleveland had a good first round.
Ryan Tannehill will be a bust. 
Analysis: George was right to be upset with the Coples pick. Unfortunately, George erred severely in trusting the Cleveland Browns to draft well. He undoubtedly was excited about the Browns drafting one of his beloved running backs, but that running back, Trent Richardson, was out of the league within a few years. George’s Ryan Tannehil prediction looked prescient for the first half of his career. Now – not so much, with the QB turning his career around in Tennessee. Cumulative Take Score: 6 for 12 (50%)
The Post: April 25, 2009 – NFL Draft, Day 1 The Takes:
The Jets and Giants were right to not draft Percy Harvin.
Kenny Britt is the best receiver among himself, Hakeem Nicks, and Brian Robiskie
Analysis: The Harvin concerns were understandable but he had a pretty decent career, all things considered. Hakeem Nicks was better than Kenny Britt. George was surely happy to be wrong though as Nicks is who the Giants drafted. Cumulative Take Score: 6 for 14 (43%)
The Post: April 28, 2007 – NFL Draft, Day One The Takes:
The Jets had a better day than the Giants
Brady Quinn will have a better pro career than JaMarcus Russell
Analysis: George nailed prediction one. The Jets drafted Darrelle Revis, who ended up being one of the best players in franchise history. George also nailed prediction number two but that’s because just about every other player in football history had a better pro career than JaMarcus Russell. Cumulative Take Score: 8 for 16 (50%)
The Post: February 5, 2006 – Super Bowl XL The Takes: 
The Jets should draft D’Brickashaw Ferguson
“So another NFL season is now done, which means that Sunday becomes a work day for me once again. That should please everyone waiting for A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.”
Analysis: George’s first take here was absolutely correct. Ferguson was a Jets stalwart for a decade. Of course, I couldn’t help but share that second, non-football prediction. It turns out the people were not pleased as A Dance With Dragons would not arrive for another five years.  Cumulative Take Score: 9 for 17 (53%)
Bonus George R.R. Martin NFL Takes
And now, a few other George R.R. Martin NFL Takes that have nothing to do with the draft…
The Post: September 1, 2017 – The NFL Is Coming The Take: “I have the feeling that I am going to be starting a lot of blog posts with ‘Life is miserable and full of pain’ this fall, at least where the Jets are concerned.” Analysis: Yup.
The Post: January 15, 2015 Locker Room Shuffle The Take: “(Rex) Ryan’s opening press conference with the Bills was very impressive. He seemed to be the old Rex again, brimming with confidence and swagger, all leavened with a healthy sense of humor. He promised to make the Bills a “bully,” a team that no one will want to play. I believe him.” Analysis: Of all the Jets coaches in Not A Blog history, Rex Ryan might be Martin’s favorite. He believes (pretty accurately) that Ryan did not get a fair shake in New York. But things in Buffalo did not pan out well for Ryan either. He was fired after two seasons and a 15-16 record.
The Post: March 15, 2013 – Free Agency Follies The Take: “Oh, and the Patriots… what a vile thing is Evil Little Bill (Belichick). The way he treated Wes Welker is disgraceful. Man has absolutely no loyalty to anyone. Watch and see, when Tom Brady’s talents start to fade — and they will, it happens to all of them — Evil Little Bill will ship him out as well.” Analysis: I don’t doubt that George was right that Bill Belichick would send Tom Brady packing the moment his talents start to fade. Where George erred, however, is that Tom Brady’s talents are never going to fade. He will never retire or even die. Brady left Belichick and New England in 2020 of his own volition…and promptly won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay.
Jets or Giants: Which Team Makes GRRM More Miserable?
Indulge me on one last bit of George R.R. Martin NFL nonsense. Occasionally, Martin will begin or end one of his football-related blog posts with the phrase “Life is meaningless and full of pain” (sometimes, he swaps “miserable” for “meaningless”).  
This is a notion that many sports fans should know quite well. Following a professional football team is mostly a never-ending series of woe and disappointment. And since Martin supports two NFL teams, he gets to experience twice the level of disappointment. But which New York football franchise causes George more pain? To find out, I tracked every “Not A Blog” post that contains the phrase “life is meaningless/miserable and full of pain” and figured out which team was making his life miserable. More often than not, it was both teams, but occasionally only one team was the culprit. The finally tally is:
New York Giants = 25 blog posts mentioning “life is meaningless and full of pain.”
New York Jets = 23 blog posts mentioning “life is meaningless and full of pain.”
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This is a fairly surprising result given that the Giants have actually won two Super Bowls in the time since Martin has been blogging. But it turns out that pain cuts deeper than victory. 
The post A Comprehensive History of George R.R. Martin’s NFL Draft Takes appeared first on Den of Geek.
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lizacstuff · 7 years
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Anons 7x06
Lots of anons in my inbox, a few under the cut. The tone of most asks is not complimentary towards the season or episode, you have been warned. 
Anonymous said:Seems like there must not be a lot of Regina fans out there, despite the ER making a lot of noise. Demos held steady. 
I wouldn’t count those numbers before they’re hatched.  Sound like the show was preempted in certain markets (Boston, a huge DMA, for one) so the numbers should be adjusted for that when the nationals come out on Monday. Right now OUAT is getting credit for whatever replacement programming the affiliate put in it’s place. 
Anonymous said:I'm seeing that for some areas the episode got pushed back till early Saturday morning. Do they take into account when figuring out the ratings? I'm already seeing ERs complaining about it and saying if the ratings are bad that's the only reason why. 😒
See above. The overnights (today's ratings) include viewership for whatever aired in OUAT’s place.  Monday they should adjust to reflect more accurately how many people watched the actual episode. They are right, though, in it negatively impacting the live numbers. However, it shouldn't really impact the L+3 or L+7 numbers. 
Anonymous said:Is it bad that I laughed outloud when I saw that Regina gave everything Ivy she needed to cast her curse? Just like the time Regina pushed Lily too far and she turned into a dragon and endanger the town? Or the time she told Zelena to go after Hades and change him and refused to listen to anyone's concerns and everyone almost ended up trapped in Hell? I'm surprised the writer's still don't see the pattern like fans do.
Even without malicious intentions, she’s a disaster who ruins everyone’s lives. It’s bizarre that the writers continually follow the pattern, but never have Regina question her own judgement when she’s doing it. Whatever else happens, Regina makes emotional, unilateral decisions that usually end up biting other people in the ass. 
Anonymous said:Why would Regina stop henry for having a tlk with jacinda to break the curse? they don't have chemistry but they have been written as tl, at least make them kiss to destroy this stupid season one for all
Because Ivy did something, that Regina remembers, that will put the people that Regina “loves” in jeopardy if the curse is broken.  We don’t know who is in jeopardy or how. 
Anonymous said:So the reboot it's all Regina's fault? Why am I not surprised? Having Henry all for her and without snowing and captain swan, obviously a villain like her was behind this
Regina isn’t being purposefully villainous, but her stupid choices have landed them in this position.
Anonymous said:So regina thought she never adopted a child and its now forced to live with him not knowing her and can't break the curse?? Also her soulmate still dead and she is away from sb and her "family"&"friends"? Hahahahahaha karma is a beautiful thing!!! So she is alone and miserable and childless? Jefferson, snowing of the early seasons and the whole ef1 is laughing and partying
I suppose she is getting a little bit of karmic retribution, but I wouldn’t consider her knowing Henry is her adult son, and still being close to him even though he doesn't know, as quite the same thing as orphaning Emma and Snowing missing out on raising her or knowing her for 28 years.  
Anonymous said:Its weird since I thought Shoe Believer had an okay start in the beginning. It wasn't anywhere near CS or Snowing but they were still okay. With every episode they just feel more and more dull and forced.
I always thought it was forced, particularly in the pilot, but I thought it might grow as the season progressed. I’m not feeling it.  They are telling us it’s true love, not showing us.  Unlike CS, Snowing or RB where we saw those relationships develop over time, this feels completely unearned, and a TLK would be like  Zades or Red Warrior where it feels like complete out-of-nowhere nonsense.  CS had to go through multiple seasons of trials and tribulations, both proving they would go to the end of the world or time for one another, before the show would even whisper True Love at them.  The writers have lost their mojo when it comes to writing a love story.
Anonymous said:After this weeks episode I'm more thankful than ever that Regina is far away from Captain Swan and everyone in storybrooke. They don't need to suffer the consequences of someone who has failed as a queen and a mayor.
Honestly, it being canon that Regina and Rumple are out of Storybrooke, is the silver lining to S7.  
Anonymous said:I’m kind of confused , since 7x02 I’ve been trying to keep up with show . But I haven’t been paying that much attention ( I usually just put it on the tv while I’m on my computer or something, so it’s really just background noise ) but I do have a question, who is that hag in lady tremaine’s basement thing ? And also ..... can you list the people who are aware that there was a curse / who’s now awake . Cuz I can’t keep up
That’s the witch.  Right now I think the only characters awake are Ivy, Regina, and sometimes Alice when she isn’t on medication.  I could be wrong though, because my ability to stay focused during this show has not been great. 
Anonymous said:I stopped watching s7 after 7x02 but as someone who still watches it/keeps tabs on it do you know if the timeline is explained like now that Lucy is born and is 10 years old does that mean captain swan's child is around that age or is Emma still pregnant cause time moves differently?
They haven’t really answered that question yet as far as I know. My gut is that very little time has passed in Storybrooke and as we speak Captain Swan is preparing for their baby. But that’s my gut, not fact. 
Anonymous said:I'm so mad - this was the last drop for me with this show. I have been watching S7 for Colin (I'm a Nielsen family and my viewing does count for the ratings) but what they had Henry say last night was the last straw. Swan Believer and their amazing dynamic in season 1 was what kept me watching the show (until CS came along ) and to have to see the writers IGNORE what was once the backbone of the original show (Emma/Henry) to prop an abusive mother/son relationship is absolute bullshit.
cont - previous ask about Swan Believer. I feel sorry for Colin and for the cast and crew, but from now on I will not be watching the show anymore. Nothing about it excites me/makes me happy. It feels like a chore. And these writers do NOT deserve to get renewed nor to get anymore chances to ruin their own canon of what was once a beautiful show.
Describing it as a chore is pretty spot on. I understand you wanting to watch for Colin (especially as a Nielsen household) but you gotta do what’s right for you.  That line seemed completely unnecessary. There were a lot of ways they could have had a nice mother/son moment without going there. 
Anonymous said:I just saw a gifset of Regina waking up from the curse. So that's really the reaction she chose to go with? She really hasn't seemed to grasp the subtleties of acting, has she?
No, she has not. However, I have to say that Lana’s acting as Roni in Hyperion Heights this episode was the least of the episode’s problems. 
Anonymous said:Did you see any of Lana's answers to her fans on Twitter? Besides laughing at the idea of her wanting to do a remake of Silence of the Lambs and play Clarice, when she was asked what she's learned from Bex she said that red heads have more fun than blondes. I imagine in this situation you answer these questions quickly and don't contemplate on your answers, but wow did that seem like a dig. And if you look through the comments all of her rabid fans seemed to think so too and were loving it.
I thought a more accurate tweet would have been  “Red heads kiss my ass better than blondes."  ‘Cause Bex has had her lips permanently affixed to her ass for years now, just the way Lana likes it. 
Anonymous said:I'm indifferent about Wish Hook, and I wouldn't mind if his daughter was Alice and they got a storyline together, but they got nowhere in this episode? And going by the promo, the mess of the wish realm strikes again as Wish Hook was realm-traveling apparently. How did a non-wish Rapunzel from a separate realm come across someone who didn't exist until present-day 6x10? This is unexplainable.
Do we know that Rapunzel is from a separate realm and not from the Wish Realm?  It would be unbelievable to think that WishHook left the WISHAU before it was created with EQ’s “wish” in 6x10.  I think looking for any sort of logic or even in-universe fairy tale logic to make sense of anything to do with the WishRealm, including WishHook, is an exercise in futility.
It simply doesn’t make sense, and each episodes they change the rules to accommodate anything they want to do.  Of course I think it’s nonsense, but I’d still rather this and have CS safely tucked away from this ridiculous season, than have them using the real Hook this season.  Because honestly I don’t care about the integrity of the storytelling in S7, I only care about CS. (though that doesn’t stop me from poking fun at it.)
Anonymous said:I honestly was not one bit surprised when Colin said he was still under contract this season, but at the same time I do believe he enjoys playing this character and I'm sure he feels loyal to the show, it has been his big break. But I have to believe with the storylines and the material he's given, if not already, then by the end of filming he'll probably be in the same mind frame as Bobby. 100% only there for a paycheck. I just hope his agent is actively seeking better opportunities for him.
We really don’t know what he’s thinking or feeling, but low ratings have got to affect things on set in some way, so it sucks if he’s in any kind of stressful environment.  Even if it’s just them getting pressured to send out scripted PR tweets for each episode. On the upside, other than 7x02, he’s been in these eps so rarely, that I’d guess he’s not working more than 1-2 days per episode, which probably means a lot of time that he can be home with his family and newborn.  It might be a blessing for them right now. As I said we can’t know, but I just wish the best for him and his future career.
Anonymous said:Was there something wrong with the Rogers' scenes? I thought they were pretty decent, especially his interactions with Alice.
To all my anons wanting to know about Rogers scenes, you’ll have to come off anon if you want to chat about it. 
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psi-groovin · 7 years
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a really long ramble about mostly nothing but sort of about what’s been going on in my life: a short novel
What the hell am I doing with myself.
I just sit and wait everyday everyday everyday everyday wait wait wait waiting waiting wait gonna sit and wait til Halloween. All the decorations are up I put them up myself on September 30th and I wore really bad shoes while doing it so it felt like I was walking on bone after multiple hours of stringing lights and small ghosts made out of old marching band t-shirts.
Well here we are. October 10th. I turn 23 in two days. Tonight I gotta go over to my old high school and help coach the color guard cos I said I’d do that about a month and a half ago but I’m finding that they don’t really need my help at all. Also being back there with all those people is just triggering some sort of ptsd in me. I get frustrated and thrust right back into the fray of being in high school with a bunch of girls who don’t give a shit and some who are only there to try and show off. The ones who only talk about band. The Academy, Blue Devils, etc. I don’t know what else to call them except for show-offs. “Look how dedicated I am to this I spent thousands of my parent’s dollars to stand in the back of the field and wave a flag around.” Yeah, good for you. Is that money well-spent? Did you learn anything at all? “Oh this is how we do it at The Academy.” Well guess what, this isn’t The Academy anymore. You’re back in high school with our marching band. This is how we do it here.
See, ptsd. That shit isn’t even related to what I’m dealing with now at the high school. I just keep getting thrust back 4-5 years and experience the same frustrations I did then.
No, now it’s more like I just feel useless. I’m not really good enough (or I guess I don’t have enough training) to be a good coach, but at the same time sometimes I’m the only one helping the girls while the instructors just sit and watch?? But most of the time I just sit there and wait for the head coach to tell me to do something, like repping a certain flag routine while he goes and checks on the weapon line.
I just don’t know. I don’t want to do it anymore but I’m also really fuckn tired of sitting there for two hours while I do nothing. Honestly, it’s probably my fault and I should take some initiative but its something that’s so against my nature that I can’t bring myself to do it. I think the other coaches are afraid of me cos I don’t really talk much. I really just want to quit helping, but I said I’d help and I hate to back out and potentially let them down, even though it seems like they couldn’t care one way or another if I lived or died. So here I am.
It’s currently 5 in the morning. I sent off an application to an airline in Tucson so I’ll be going down there for an interview on the 19th. But it’s in Tucson so I think they’re hiring specifically for Tucson, so I might not be able to do this. Unless I am able to move to Tucson which I don’t really want/have the means to do.
I’m frustrated. I’m in life’s waiting room. I get called in to do one thing and then I have to go back to the waiting room and wait wait wait wait wait o shit look it’s yer birthday woohoo alright let’s go back and wait some more o shit look it’s Halloween.
How do I break this cycle.
How do I break off a piece of that kit-kat bar.
My sister and I went to the store sometime last month around midnight because we were craving cake and were surprised to find that Fry’s was doing a flash sale on Halloween candy. We bought a bag of snickers and kit-kat. The snickers are all gone now.
Whenever we buy Halloween candy we always get one of those big ass mixed bags from Costco but you gotta make sure you get the mixed bags without twizzlers in them cos otherwise everything in the bag will taste/smell like licorice and it ruins the taste of the chocolate so we get a mixed bag of chocolate stuff mostly and I make sure to take out all the snickers and save them for myself cos I’m just a freak for that peanuty nougaty chocolatey goodness.
Kills my teeth though.
I drank some red wine tonight because I have cramps and I read somewhere that red wine helps so I drank some and my teeth got stained a nasty color. It’ll probably just brush off but it was nice to see my teeth turn about the same color as Chop Top’s from Chainsaw 2.
Speaking of Chainsaw, someone commented on the Chop Top/Nubbins drawing I did that’s on Redbubble. Something about how he wished he could assault anyone who would “buy this gay shit.” I deleted the comment of course. I thought about flagging it and reporting it but I didn’t want to trouble RB. Now if the guy comments on my shit again with some more offensive and horrible stuff like that, then I’ll report it.
I’m not upset, per say, by it, but it is a little upsetting to me. The whole situation. Like there are still people out there who are homophobic and insecure enough in their niche genre fandoms that they get offended when I draw a cute picture of two wacky brothers from some famous horror movies?? For real? That’s what’s upsetting to me. The horror fandom tends to be a little elitist, like the metal fandom is famous for. Like… did what I draw bother someone so much they felt the need to comment THAT on it?? What the hell, dude. Just live and let live. For fucks sake.
Am I mad? Not really. Just upset. And like I said, I’m upset because that guy’s way of thinking still exists. I’m not mad that he didn’t like it. I’m mad that he was upset enough to comment some angry shit on it. Like just move on.
Have I beaten this topic to death yet?
My sister got a call from a company in Virginia that if she gets the position, she’s gonna move out there. I want to go with her too. Get a job at Chipotle to help pay the rent. Then continue the airline search.
I don’t know much about Virginia, but I’m pretty much willing to move anywhere as long as it’s not Phoenix or Tucson. Sedona’s gorgeous, Kingman’s gorgeous.. like whenever I have to drive back to Phoenix I want to die. Why does anyone live here it’s a fuckn horrible mass of gray and brown. It’s hot, everyone is angry, traffic is terrible 80% of the time .. why does anyone choose to live in Phoenix. Everywhere else in Arizona is like “ohh, this is why people move and live here.” but PHOENIX… Phoenix can shove a rosebush up its ass.
Grandma’s not doing so good. I meant to ask dad about her today because yesterday he said she went to the ER. We went up to visit her for her birthday and the whole trip was really stressful but it might’ve been extra stressful because I was probably PMSing. We hung up some pictures in her apartment so it looks more like a home, but its still kind of exhausting being around her, especially because she complains a lot. My aunt who takes care of her is always so stressed out with her. I feel for her.
I don’t know. I also didn’t get much sleep because we all shared a room and my sister and dad were snoring really fuckn loud. I kept waking up before my alarm and then thinking I had overslept and then looked at the clock and it had only been like a minute or not even. It was a plus though when we went back to the hotel after dinner with grandma and caught about half of a Jeff Lynne’s ELO concert in Hyde Park on tv. That was pretty groovy.
Also the first night we were there we walked across the street and got a bunch of French fries for a midnight snack and there were two girls in the restaurant who I was facing and they were singing along to some song on their phone and I caught their eyes and they couldn’t stop laughing. So then when I caught their eye again when they were singing/dancing in their seats I started dancing too and they broke up laughing all over again. When they left they waved at me, smiling. I felt good.
If I was in high school I’d feel really insecure about the whole situation. I’d have thought they were judging me or something. I know now that they weren’t. We just had a good moment together and I’m really happy about it. I’m smiling as I type this. I’ve grown a lot since high school.
What the fuck have I been doing for the past month besides all this random rabble I’ve been talking about? Is anyone going to fucking read this? Besides me? This feels really good to type, by the way. This is something I like to call Mind Masturbation, where your brain just shits out all it’s thoughts through your fingers. It feels soooooooooo good and my brain just feels .. clean. Like I’ve gone in there with a toothbrush and massaged all the old shit that’s been building up in there. It feels cool and fresh, like when you get your shoulders massaged. Healthy blood flow.
Anyways, the entire past month has been mostly me mourning the death of Tobe Hooper. I’ve since been catching up on all the works of him I’ve missed and crying my eyes out that we lost such an adorable and really thoughtful (and I mean that in the sense that he thought about things a lot, stuff people don’t normally consider. Like he stepped back a lot and looked at everything and just thought about it. Magnificent. You don’t get that much in people it seems) man. Body Bags was great, and I love John Carpenter as the Coroner and Tobe Hooper’s own cameo toward the end. The Apartment Complex was also fantastic and I just love it and I wanted to see if I could buy it on dvd but it seems its only really available on vhs which is .. neat but also pretty worthless to me. I highly recommend The Apartment Complex, if anyone has read this far. It’s a fuckn delight.
I think I’ve probably jerked off my brain enough to where there’s not much else that’s weighing on my mind anymore. I feel a lot better than I did about 30 minutes ago. I was all wound up and stressed, and now I’m a little less wound up and stressed. I feel slightly better. Writing shit like this really does help get it out of your head.
Well, to anyone who bothered to read this, I hope you found some enjoyment because this was mostly just for me. I hope it wasn’t a complete waste of time. Now you know what I’ve been up to sort of lately and why I haven’t really been on tumblr. Sometimes you just need a really long break. It probably feels longer than it actually has been but that’s another thing: the days feel like they’re crawling by as I wait in life’s waiting room.
We’ll stop there before this thing ends up being a novel.
Thanks for stickin around. Love you all. Glad we could all witness me jerkin off my brain today.
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